"Modi and Mulayam, both want to be prime minister... and that's why they took the help of riots," the Rashtriya Lok Dal (RLD) chief said at a rally in Shamli, one of the areas hit by communal violence along with Muzaffarnagar in September last year.

"Both the riots of Gujarat and Muzaffarnagar were pre-planned. People of the state, especially youths, are unemployed and the state government is not bothered," he said.

The minister said the administration did not take timely action, leading to the huge number of deaths. "If the administration had taken action on time, so much loss of life could have been prevented," he said.

The RLD, which is part of the United Progressive Alliance (UPA), has five members in the Lok Sabha.